Package-sealing device.



I No 848,734, I PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

O. B. FROST.

PACKAGE SEALING DEVICE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 15,1906.

2'SHEETSSHEET l.

No. 848,734. PATENTED APR. 2, 1907. 0. B. FROST.

PACKAGE SEALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WM QAHEA/[gB/EUU few-.4. 41,, 7/795 Tram/v5 i is a specification.

CLARENCE B; rnos'r, or CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PAoaAeE-sEALiNe. DEVICE.-

To all whont it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLARENCE B. FROST, of.-

Cambridge, in the county of Middleseir and .tate of Massachusetts, have inventedgcertain new, and useful Improvements in Package-Sealing Devicesfof which the following devices.

More particularly, it relates to apparatus for; supplying strips of gummed paper or other adhesive'fabricin convenient form for use in binding and fastening packages and parcels.

The objects ofthe inventionare -to improve and simplify such apparatus in a number .of features, among which are -the 'arrangements for delivering adhesive tape above it.

from the machine, for retracting tape from i .the moistening-roller or other means that render it adhesive, for controlling tape ten sion and guiding the delivery of the tape from the storage supply in the machine, for

deliv'eringia variety of tapes from a single machine, 'or guarding the severing-knives, and in general to provide, improved apparatus in accordance with the principles hereinafter described. These objects are acbom- )lished by the means hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawii'1gs, inwhich-- Figure 1 represents a side viewof one form of apparatus embodying the invention, the apparatus being represented open with the Fig. 2is a plan view, partly in section; of the same.

Fig. 3 is'an enlarged side view of a portion of.

Fig. 1. Fig. i is an end or front view of a severing-knife and its guard. big. 5 is .a plan view of certain details of Fig; 3 directly The invention is not limited to the particular form and construction here shown and described; but the embodiment here'reprcsented serves to illustrate the best form in which I at present contemplate constructing the invention. In this form tape is supplied froma roll of previously-prepared gun'imed and .dried paper and is arranged with its forward end projecting from the case. The preparation of the tape by coating one side of the paper with mucilaginous gum and allowing the same to dry renders the tape slightly elastic and capable of becoming adhesive by the addition of moisture. When needed for use, the tape is drawn forth, and

Specification of Letters Patent. A lies filed May is, 1906. smart. 316.998.

Patented A ril 2, 190 7.

so doing is moistened, and thus rendered adhesive, and is cut off, leaving an end prof,

jecting for future use, and the moistening operation is stopped.

H Referring to the drawings, the various parts of the machine are-supported by a frame, which is preferably in the form of a This invention relates to package-sealing? closed casing, composed of the two parts 0 and 1 ,inclosing and protecting the tape and all the tw o legs vvYVhen the two parts Oand 1' are swung together about the hinge, asindicated by arrows 2 in Fig. 2, the casing stands upright on the four legs, and the same is true when the case is only partly swung togethen The case may therefore be conveniently opened to permit examination or readjustment of.;,the interior parts without disturbing the "level of water contained therein.

The apparatus will supply one or more tapes of varying widths or varying from each other n other respects. When only one tape is to be supplied, all the working parts are prefer= ably supported in the section 1, so that upon opening the casing all the mechanism is open to view on the exposed wall and is easily accessible, the cashig meanwhile standingupright self-supported. When two tapes are to be supplied, one may be mounted on the ver tical wall of each section, all using a common moistening and delivery device, as hereinafter described. Mounted on the ,vert-ical wall offsc'ction l is a pivot-pin 5, which affords convenient means for supporting a roll 6 of tape.

In the forward part of the machine is a pan 7, adapted to contain water or other liquid for rendering the tape adhesive. The pre ferred method is to draw the tape from the receptacle which is entirely closed except a neck 10, which pro jects downward and opens into pan 7. Water can escape from the reservoir only when air is admitted at the mouth .of the neck to take its place, and this happens only when the levelof water in the pan falls below the month. At such times a little air enters and a corresponding amount of water escapes, thus raising the level in the pan and .r'esealing the mouth with a water seal.

The course of the tape from the supply-roll 6 lies around a guide-roll l 1 preferably placed delivery-rolls and 19.

moistener, thence under a pin 13, over a pin 14, over the roller 8 of themoistening device,

thence issuingfrom the apparatus between Outside and adj acent thereto a severing-knife 16 is rigidly fastened. This knife preferably has a rig idly-mounted V-shaped blade, pointed downward. By raising the tape which has been drawn forth toward the knife the point of the V pierces the tape, and the tape is thus severed, cutting outward from the center toward each edge.

One feature of the invention relates to the tape at proper tension. This consists of a spring 17, mounted rigidly on the pivot 5,011- whieh the roll is rotatably mounted,- the spring pressing flatwise upon the end of the A'preferred shape of this spring roll of tape. is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This holds the roll with a uniform tension after the diameter of the roll has been greatly reduced by withdrawal of tape, as well as when the roll is of original size. The spring consists of a simple flat piece, bent outward at its center, where it is pierced by a slot 24, having an enlargement 26 at one end a little larger than the head of the screw. The shank of the screw or the end portion of the pivot-pin is'filed flat to fit the slot 24'. The spring is mounted by slipping the enlarged hole over the screw-head and then slipping it sidewise, so that the slot and flat shan come together, thus prevent-- ing relative rotation. The spring may be adjusted to the desired tension by means of the screw. It is preferred to arrange the parts so that the proper adjustment will occur with the spring in the relative position indicated in the right-hand half of Fig. -1.'

The spring'is longer than the diameter of a full-sized roll, as shown, and by-thus project ing' beyond it serves as aguide to keep the outer-layer of tape in place.

Another feature of the invention relates to the stationary pins 13 14, which serve to guide the tape to the moistening device and also to retract the same therefrom. These areplaced in approximatelyvertieal position, one over the other, with the under one preferably a little forward of the upper. They are represented in the drawings as studs, which may be screwed firmly into the side wall of the pan,-which is formed highfor this purpose, each stud having a thin cylindrical shell 4 loosely mounted thereon, thus forming a roller to reduce friction, held in place by the flan ed head of the stud, which also serves as a gui' e to retain the tape thereon. When the tape is drawn forth, it passes under roll 19, and being held taut by the tension de- Vice 17 it tends to be drawn into an approximately straight line, tangent to the top of pin 14 and tangent to the lower surface of to contact with more or; less of'the surface of moistening-roll 8, and-if raised enough the tape may escape contact altogether. It is one feature of the invention to employ tape having a certain degree of elasticity. After the external end 35 has been cut by knife 16 the elasticity of the tape will retract the end 36 a little andwill raise the tape a little above its position whenbeing drawn forth, as indicated by'the dotted line 36 in Fig. 3, in orderto relieve the tape of the torsion or sharpfeurve caused by the bend from pin 1.; around pin 14. The extreme exteriof'end of the tape is then maintained out of contact with the moistener byresting, if necessary,

upon roll 15,-and the portion of the tape lying next interior is sprung upward from the moistening-roll by reason of the approximately vertical situation of the pin 1-1 over pin 13. In prior devices, so far as known to me, ithas been necessaryto provide some sort of moving carriage strip-lifter." or

other device to lift and move the tape bodily '4 away'from the moistening device, or else to move the moistener bodily away, from the tape; but bythe device here described 1 cause the tape automaticaltr to move ilsell' away therefrom, so that the tape is not in contact with the inoistening device excepl when actually under the tension in the art. of being drawn forth from the machine.

Another feature of the invention relates to the external support 15 for the tape. This is preferably a small roll, rotatable upon a stud 21, and having two orinore thin ridges 1,8 on which the tape is supported. This roll is preferably so close to the nioisteningroll on the side toward roll 1E). The tape drawn forth. To prevent this roll fl'Ulll scraping gum from the freshly-1noislened adhesive surface of the tape in case the lat ter should'carelessly be drawn in contact there-' with, the working surface of the roll is composed of a series of niir'ro'w and rather sharp ridges 18, which are set in planes approximately parallel to the line of travel of the tape. 'It is found that il1(SO (lU not remove gum from the tape.

Another feature of the invent ion relates lo the guard, which serves the double purpose of preventing the kn fe from injury and of protecting all persons l 'rom being injured by the knife. -When the knife is in use, its mint penetrates the tape. andhence the knife is surrounded on allsides by the strip of tape.

The guard must not interfere with the normal working of the machine and must not be in the way of handling a package to which the tape is being applied. In the guard here shown a flat plate is arranged upon the upper or outer side of the knife, overlapping the same in area in all directions, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and is devoid of sharpicorners; This plate has approximately}? the shape of the knife it guards and is hinged at its upper part, which is the base of the V, to plate 31, which lies upon the shank of the knife, and the plate 31 in turn is hinged to the shank of the knife. I plates 30 and 31 is set a little back of the knife-corner, as clearly shown in the drawings, plate 30 being bentaround the knife corner for that purpose and set with a slight clearance-space between it and the upper part of the knife, theclearance gradually diminish ing toward the point. Theplate 3O guards the knife from contact with any object approaching the knife from above, fromeither side, or from the front; but when the strip of tape is lifted to be severed. by the'knife, as shown in Fig. '3, the strip automatically removes the guard, lifting the plates 30 and-31, which turn at the hinges 33 and 34 and recede until the tapehas been severed, when they fallback automatically by gravity and again guard the knife. I

In operation it beingassumed that the tape has not been recently moistened, the. user knife 16, raises the guard, and encounters the knife and is severed, as representedin Fig. 3'. On being cut the tape end would fall upon the moistening device but for its elasticity or the supporting-roller 15. The elasticity of the tape which has been drawn tight around pin l t-bends its forward portion upward into abight above the moistening-wheel, as shown by dotted lines'36 in Fig. 3, and thus the tape remains until wanted again for use. The

short projecting portion which has been moistened dries with lapse of time, except the part above the roll 15 between it and the top of the moistening-roll, which I have found by experiment remains adhesive for a very long time after the adjacent parts have entirely"'ciried. g

Another feature of the invention is as follows: It is desirable for users of this system The hinge between.

of sealing packages to be able to use tape of differing widths, aecordmgto the character a of the package to be sealed. No method has been known prior to m invention to place two different rolls side lly side in the same machine without causing the apparatus sub-' stantially to embod r two complete separate machines in order t at theactof drawing of tape from one roll should not move or affect the other strip of tape; In particular it has not been hitherto possible to accomplish this satisfactorily without (providing separate strip-lifting devices, one for each strip of paper, side by side, so that one strip could be moistened without at the same time moistening the other. By the present invention this result is rendered entirely racticable, owing to the fact that movablestrip lifters are eliminated entirely. Two or more rolls 'of'difierent kinds may be mounted side by side upon the pin 5 and the tape from any one of them pulled into contact with the moistening dc vice without disturbing the adjacent parts of the other strips.

Another application -of this'principle is shown in Figs. .1 and 2, in which one roll ofpa er'is mounted on the pin 5 and another rol of paper 6 is mounted on the pin 5 in the other section of the frame; vTape fromthis roll 6 passes around an idler'guideqoll 11, guide-roll 12, pins 13 and 14, as in the first-described section, the same being duplicates of thosefirst described; but a single moistening and delivery mechanism is used in combination with the two supply inechanisms, and when the two portions. of the casing are closed together the ta e from roll 6 passes over moistener 8 and etween rolls 19 and 15 beside the tape from roll 6.

Many variations may be made from the s ecific embodiment of the invention here s own and described without departing from the scope of the patent.

1. In apparatusof. the'class described, a holder for a supply of elastic tape; a'device for rendering the tape adhesive; a stationary guide for the tape set between the supply and said device, holding the tape'norma y out of contact therewith.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a

holder for a supply of elastic tape; a device over. which the tape normally passes for ren-" dering the tape adhesive; two stationary guide-pins-for theta .e set between the supply and said device, t e one above theother whereby the tape normally isdirected up-- ward andpasses'over the said device without contact therewith.

3. In apparatus of the class for rendering the tape adhesive; in combina; tion with a stationary gu1de set between the described, a holder for a supply of elastic tape; a device sup ly and said device, holding the tape norma y above and out of contact with the demounted for severing the tape, in combina tionwith a guard for the blade, comprising an adjacent movable plate approximately parallel therewith and projecting beyond its edges. p

'6. In apparatus of the class described, a holder for a supply of tape; a V-blade for sev ering the tape, rigidly mounted; in combinetion with a guard for' the blade, comprising an adjacent plate set approximately parallel" with the blade and projecting'beyond its edges, said plate being arranged to yield 'to' Ward the base of the V, when engaged by tape about to be severed, thus exposing the blade.

7 In apparatus of the class described, a

casing, conipri sing an inclosing frame having two sections hinged vertically a supplyholder and guides fortape on each section of the casing-wall; a devlce mounted: on one wall forrendering the tape from both walls .7

adhesive, the guides on t e other Wall being arranged to guide tape thereto when the sec- 1 tions of the frame are closed. 1

8; In apparatus of the class described, a 15 holder for a supply of tape, and a nioistening device. for one, surface of the tape, in combination with a layer of elastic adhesive material dried upon said surface otthe tape, whereby the tape is renderedelastic, and a 40 non-yielding guide leading the tape to a position adjacent to but not in contact with the moistening device, whereby the unmoistene'd portion or the" tape automatically retracts from said device after contact therewith.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixod my signature 1n presence oftwo wltnesses.

j I CLARENCE nrnosr. Witnesses: l

ELLIOTT B. CHURCH,

. EvERErrE. KENT. V 

